Applying for Passports in Egypt

If you are an Egyptian intending to go abroad, the most basic requirement is your Egyptian passport. The government issues this to Egyptian nationals. Your passport is proof of your Egyptian citizenship, and also facilitates assistance from Egyptian consulates abroad.

The period of validity of an Egyptian passport is seven years for adults, and less for both students and those whose military conscription has not yet been finalized. It is dark green in color and has Arabic words standing for “Passport” and “Arab Republic of Egypt” on its cover.

Types Available

Egyptian nationals are issued different types of passports depending on their status. These types include ordinary, official, and diplomatic. The ordinary passport is for average citizens like tourists. The official passport, or the service passport, is for government employees or officials who travel because of government work or missions; the diplomatic passport is for consuls and diplomats who will be traveling for business in Egypt.

Requirements

The Egyptian consulate will first make sure that you are Egyptian before it will issue a passport. To prove your nationality, you have to submit your original Egyptian birth certificate along with one copy, as well as your original Egyptian identification card and a copy.

The Consulate will then contact the Egyptian Ministry of Interior, in some cases, and wait for its approval before granting you a new passport. This process usually takes six weeks.

For replacement of damaged or lost passports, you have submit a completed application form, a police report of your passport being lost or stolen, a copy of your lost passport, if you have one, copies of documents like your Egyptian ID card, birth certificate, military ID card, as well as a copy of your foreign passport, if you have multiple citizenship.

Additional Information

Egyptian nationals can enjoy traveling around 24 countries visa-free for a short-term period. The country actually ranked 72nd with regard to international travel freedom, which is considered one of the lowest in the study.

Some of the countries where a visa is not needed include African countries like Ghana and Libya, Latin American countries like Dominica and Haiti, Asian countries like South Korea and Cambodia, as well as Oceanian countries like Palau and Tuvalu.